


Third Time's the Charm.

by DaisyIcons



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Animagus, Beauxbatons, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Canon Timeline, Death Eaters, Drinking, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hogwarts, Idiots in Love, M/M, Music, Musicians, Mutual Pining, Non-Canon Relationship, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Owls, Pining, Punk, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:14:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28098999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyIcons/pseuds/DaisyIcons
Summary: After graduating from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Caroline Harris now finds herself living in Diagon Alley, her world crashing around her.  Her mother's recent murder at the hands of the death eaters has left her feeling more alone than ever, but, when her cousin Nymphadora Tonks finds her a job at The Siren Cafe everything changes.My first fic!I'll update the tags as needed!Updating at least once a week!Canon timeline! I've added a few OCs and non-canon relationships.
Relationships: Angelina Johnson/Fred Weasley, George Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 7





	1. A New Start

“Alone at last...” Caroline sighed with relief and exhaustion as she threw herself onto the small bed. The flat was small and cozy, just as Mrs. Jordan had promised. The walls of the bedroom were a cheerful canary yellow, clashing attractively with the soft patchwork quilt. The bustling sounds of busy shoppers drifted in through the open window pleasantly, the smells of fresh-baked bread, toffee, and petrichor with it. Although it had drizzled since the morning, the sun had eventually found its way, creeping through the clouds to create a brilliant sunset of orange and pink. Somehow she had forgotten how often it rained in London, the warm sand and sun of Barcelona seemed so far away now. The precious weeks they had planned to spend celebrating their recent graduation had been cut short by sudden tragedy. Now she found herself thrust into a brand new life months before she had planned, her best friends further away than she had ever felt them, especially when she needed them now more than ever.

Even the brief letter she had received from her cousin the day before last had done little to satisfy her. Her aunt and uncle had offered to meet her for dinner that night, to help her unpack and take her on a little tour of the alley, but she wasn’t ready to face them yet.

Caroline needed her cousin right now most of all, and even though she knew that ‘Dora was busy with far more important work than grieving with her younger cousin, she felt bitter and resentful that she couldn’t be there with her tonight. Caroline was beyond grateful she'd offered to help her find a job and a place to live. In fact, she’d found the perfect job. When Caroline had hastily rejected Tonks’ offers of ministry positions and a potioneer internship at St. Mungos, she’d still come through with something perfect, but unexpected. Tonks had written to her excitedly when she found her the position at The Siren Cafe, complete with a flat above. It was perfect of course, a small music-themed cafe. Even her new boss, Mrs. Jordan, seemed to be a wonderful woman. In fact, she reminded her far too much of her own mother, making Caroline almost uncomfortable. The flat for rent above the business, as well as the job vacancy in said cafe, had matched up so perfectly that Caroline couldn’t have found something wrong with it if she’d tried. Mrs. Jordan had even invited her for dinner that night, excited for her to meet her son and Caroline’s new co-worker, Lee, but she had politely declined. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to find herself in a cozy, happy family dynamic so soon, for fear her grief would consume her.  
She idly knew that she should get up, make dinner, get a head start unpacking her life. Maybe she could even explore the alley a bit, grab the last bits she needed for her new flat. She could even go out for dinner and a pint at the Leaky Cauldron, but she felt far too exhausted from her journey. So instead she laid on her bed, no sign of life aside from the rise and fall of her chest, little family to speak of and her best friends an ocean away, feeling quite sorry for herself. The sounds from outside did little to mitigate her loneliness. She almost wished Etienne was with her, as much of a rotten cheating bastard he was, at least he had been a warm body beside her. Maybe he wasn’t so bad, she thought to herself. She hadn’t exactly been an easy partner to have. He’d even written to her when he had heard the news...  
She was pulled from her train of thought by the sound of irritated hooting coming from the cage on the desk nearest to her. The red screech owl rustled her feathers, her beak biting at the pewter bars of her cage, clearly annoyed at being cooped up for so long.  
“Sorry Dais,” Caroline said sheepishly, sitting up only high enough to grab her wand and lazily flick it at the cage. The cage sprung open and Daisy hooted indignantly, jumping from the cage to the desk, stretching her wings out. Caroline sighed, falling back down onto her back, her eyes fixed back on the small cracks in the ceiling. She heard the rustle of wings, as Daisy flew across the room, landing right beside her stomach. She pecked at Caroline’s fingers affectionately, and Caroline sat up to gently stroke her feathers.  
“Time to get up? I suppose you’re hungry as well...” Daisy hooted happily as Caroline slumped out of bed with an exasperated sigh, her eyes falling sadly on her rucksack and the small black trunk by the door. Even with the undetectable extension charm, it still surprised hers that her entire life with her mother had fit into the trunk.

Diego had spent three days with her, comforting her and cooking for her as she sobbed, while they packed up the small oceanside cottage she had grown up in. Daisy landed on her shoulder, nipping at her ear this time and Caroline let out a small yelp.  
“I’m doing the best I can, love. I’m sorry.” she sighed to the bird, who looked at her with something akin to sadness and understanding. She knelt down beside the small black trunk, staring into the seemingly endless cavern for a moment. Even with magic, she was far to tired to start unpacking tonight, so she waved her wand, muttering a quick Accio under her breath. The box of Daisy’s things soared out of the trunk, and she caught them quickly. She unpacked Daisy’s perch, a knobbly branch painted light blue, placing it on the small table beside the window. Daisy flew to the perch, rustling her feathers in approval at the placement. Caroline reached into the box, taking out her food and water dishes. She filled the dish with water with a flick of her wand and emptied some dry food into the other dish. Daisy hooted disapprovingly, sticking her beak up at the food.  
“You’re more than welcome to go out hunting if you don’t like it.” Caroline huffed to the owl, pointing to the open window. “I’m perfectly fine on my own for a few hours.” The owl stared at her, almost disbelievingly, and begrudgingly began to eat the small brown pellets.  
She stared out the window, surveying the street below her. The walkways had mostly cleared, the bustle calming down, leaving almost an eerie silence. She grabbed her rucksack with force, throwing it onto her bed, a letter falling from one of the front pockets. She cracked the sealing wax on the parchment quickly, and her eyes wandered over the familiar messy scrawl.

 _Mon Petite Renard,_  
_Hope you don’t mind, but I packed some essentials in your bag. A few changes of clothes, your toiletries, your kettle etc. Figured you might not be ready to unpack for a while. Mama sent me some of that tea that you like, as well as some of the cinnamon cookies she knows are your favourite. Write to me as soon as your settled. I’ve made you three new mixes, but don’t forget to unpack your record player. If I don’t hear from you by the end of the week I’m leaving my program and coming to London._  
_Ton Amour,_  
_Diego._  
_PS. Don’t even thinking of writing to Etienne. He’s scum, and not worth a moment of your time. Not that it’ll work anyway, I’ve instructed Daisy to peck you to death if you try to send him a letter._  
_PPS. Mama want’s the tin back._  
  
Caroline smiled sadly, shaking her head as she tossed the letter onto the bed. Diego knew her better than she knew herself sometimes, and even though she had said her tearful goodbye to him only that morning, her heart ached with missing him. She quickly undid the buckle on the grey, patched bag, turning it upside down on her bed. Her toiletry bag fell out first, as well as a large assortment of her favourite band shirts and jeans, an odd assortment of punk cassettes, her leather jacket, and her favourite loose-knit sweater. She rifled through the pile, finding her large headphones and walkman, her only pieces of muggle technology and a treasured gift from Diego during fourth year, before placing them on the desk, along with her neglected diary. Her eyes fell upon the singular picture frame in the pile. Her mother’s short spiky white blonde hair looking almost neon underneath the moving, brightly coloured lights as she grinned widely at her daughter. They stared, smiling at each other, incandescently happy, an identical mischievous glint in their eyes, matching silver hoops in their nostrils. Tonks had taken it the summer prior when the three of them had attended a Weird Sisters concert while she had visited England with her mother. She ran her fingers sadly over the picture, she could almost remember how her mother’s laughter sounded, how it rang clearly over the loud music, how the three of them had danced excitedly together, but the moment was lost. She placed the picture over her nightstand, grabbing her wand and casting a quick sticking charm.  
She sorted through the surprisingly large pile of clothes until she found the small lumpy care package. She untied the familiar fabric, suspiciously similar to the curtains in Diego’s mother’s house, and revealed a small bag of tea and a silver tin of cookies. Caroline popped the tin open, eagerly popping the small round cookie into her mouth and groaning. Mama Gisela was right, they were her favourite. She quickly ate another, and as she savored the cinnamon cookie as it melted on her tongue she began to realize how hungry she actually was. She couldn’t remember if she’d eaten breakfast that morning, but she knew she skipped lunch.  
She checked the delicate silver watch on her wrist. 9 pm. Most shops in the alley would have closed up by now, in favour of heading home or to one of the local pubs for a late night dinner and drinks. She felt her stomach turn at the thought of facing the Friday night crowds at the Leaky Cauldron. While Caroline didn’t really know many witches and wizards in London, her mother had. She’d been friends with many who had frequented the Leaky Cauldron, including Tom, the barman. The pitying looks she was sure to receive was enough to dissuade her, even though she missed their dinner specials.  
“Muggle London it is...” she said aloud to herself. Daisy hooted approvingly, watching Caroline with curiosity as she pulled on her black combat boots, grabbing her wallet and leather jacket from the pile beside her on the bed. She quickly grabbed her toiletries and the care package from the bed, dropping the care package onto the small counterspace beside the stove. The kitchen was extremely pretty, the walls were a lovely shade of turquoise and painted with daisies, so realistic they seemed to be gently blowing in the breeze. She made her way into the bathroom, dropping her toiletry bag beside the sink. Caroline stared at herself appraisingly in the mirror. She’d avoided her own reflection for weeks and was almost shocked at how disheveled she’d appeared. Her long, wavy, silvery-blue hair fell in rough, almost matted tangles around her face. Her eyes appeared to be almost sunken, framed by dark almost purple circles. She looked like she’d been on the run for months, and she shook her head, laughing shakily. Caroline splashed cold water on her face before running her fingers through her mess of hair quickly, attempting to de-tangle it before tying it up into a messy bun. Her mother never had taught her that detangling spell, she thought idly to herself. “Too late to ask now, I wonder if Aunt Dromeda knows” Caroline hastily swiped a bit of black eyeliner around her eyes, and added a bit of mascara. She gave herself one last look in the mirror, trying to admire the effect the makeup had, but sighing exasperatedly. It’s not like she had anyone to impress, and at least she looked alive now, she thought quickly to herself.  
She returned to her new bedroom, grabbing her wallet and wand from the bed, tucking both into the custom sewn pockets in her jacket. Caroline smiled at the pockets fondly for a moment. She’d been so impressed with Diego’s, his mother had insisted she do the same on Caroline’s. She grabbed her walkman, switching out the tape to one of Diego’s new mixes, before tossing it into her pocket and dangling her headphones around her neck.  
“I’m going out, Dais. Don’t wait up” Caroline smiled softly to the owl, stroking her feathers gently. Daisy hooted approvingly, and with a quick affectionate nip at her fingers, she flew out the window into the night.  
Caroline locked up quickly, pulling up the hood on her jumper before rushing down the stairs into the street. Diagon Alley was nearly abandoned now, only the distant sounds of hooting and hissing from the magical menagerie breaking the silence. She kept her eyes to the ground and walked down the cobblestone street at a determined pace. Caroline reached the back entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, taking a deep breath to steady herself before opening the door quietly, resuming her brisk pace as she tried to make it through the surprisingly crowded pub without incident. She made it no more than 5 steps before a cheerful, booming, voice called out to her.

“Carrie!” called Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron, smiling at her kindly from behind the bar. “Was wondering when you’d come in for a drink! Come grab a seat, your favourite’s on special tonight and there are some locals I want to introduce you too.”  
He motioned enthusiastically to the last empty stool at the end of the bar, beside two nearly identical looking guys with fiery ginger hair, wearing matching, extremely gaudy lime green dragon skin blazers. They both gave her a polite but curious smile, clearly surprised there were still new people to meet in the alley.  
“Sorry, Tom! Not tonight. Promised I’d meet some old school friends for a drink in Muggle London” Caroline smiled cheerfully, pleased that the lie melted effortlessly from her tongue, barely slowing her pace as she approached the bar.  
“Bring them here!” he grinned at her warmly. “I can conjure a few more chairs”  
“We’re happy to move over to the side,” One of the ginger-haired boys said warmly. She met his eyes with her own for a moment, noticing that he was in fact quite handsome. His freckled cheeks and messy hair, the sparkle in his eyes. There was something about the look her gave her that made her squirm, that made her want to say yes and join them, but before she could allow herself to be tempted she doubled down on the lie.  
“Already running late for our reso I’m afraid. Next time!” Caroline smiled hastily, pointing to the door.  
“Course love, I’ll hold you to it!” Tom said, clearly a little bit disappointed, but still cheerful. “You’re welcome here anytime.”  
“Thanks, Tom!” she called, hastily opening the door to the pub. She sighed with relief when the door closed behind her with a loud creak, the sounds of the homey pub drowned out by the busy streets. Car horns blared around her, splashing into puddles as they passed with speed. She pulled on her headphones, pressing play, and turning up the volume as loud as it could go, the loud, fearless music bringing her clarity. She fished her nearly empty pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one, inhaling deeply. She exhaled slowly reveling in the feeling of relief that washed over her. At least Tonks wasn’t around to nag her for her relapse, she smirked bitterly to herself, as she set off towards the Thames, disappearing into the crowded streets of London.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!  
> Thanks so much for reading! This is my first fanfic ever, so feel free to comment any constructive criticism you have and please tell me what you liked <3  
> I've written the first 20 chapters, so expect frequent updates!


	2. The Siren Cafe

Caroline awoke far too early the next morning to Daisy pecking her shoulder.  
“Who needs alarm clocks with you around,” she grumbled, sitting up to pull the curtains above her shut to keep the hot June sun out. Her head was pounding, and she rolled over to realize she’d passed out on top of her pile of clothes the night before with her boots on. She briefly checked her watch and groaned. She had just under an hour before her first shift at the Siren started, and she was unbearably hungover. She heaved herself out of bed, a wave of nausea washing over her as she stumbled wearily over to her trunk and sat down beside it. The room was spinning and she felt the acid bubbling in her stomach. She popped the lid open with a tap of her wand.  
“Accio hangover potion” she muttered, and the small black vile jumped out of the trunk nearly hitting her in the face. Caroline grabbed it quickly from the floor, squinting to read her messy scrawl to confirm it was the potion she was looking for, before popping the cork and downing it in one. She gagged a bit at the slimy texture, and the bitter taste wasn’t much better. At least she knew it worked, she thought glumly to herself, feeling her stomach settle and the warm feeling begin to travel through her almost immediately. She accio-ed a towel quickly from the trunk before slamming it shut and heading to the bathroom.  
Caroline let the taps run in the shower, beginning to strip her filthy clothes off from the night before, having to sit down on the toilet seat as she bent over to unlace her muddy boots. She discarded her clothing into a pile beside the bath and stepped into the hot shower stream, sighing with relief as it relaxed her sore muscles. She washed her long hair, scrubbing her scalp with her finger tips roughly as she began to the task of trying to remember what exactly happened last night.  
She’d wandered aimlessly through the winding streets, only stopping to buy a six cans of extra strong beer and a pack of cigarettes from the first corner shop she found. She vaguely remembered taking a walk along the foot path beside the river, stopping at the first chip truck she saw. She’d ordered fish and chips and dousing the thick fatty chips in vinegar, and ate ravenously on a bench beside the river. From there it got a little fuzzy. How had she gotten home last night? She wracked her brain, feeling furious with herself, scrubbing her legs roughly with body wash. Had she wandered into the Leaky Cauldron, absolutely pissed before the lock in? Did Tom have to carry her home? Surely she would have gotten a howler from her aunt and uncle if he had. That’s not the type of thing that gets hushed up in the gossiping world of Diagon Alley.  
“Think you idiot! Think!” She cursed herself, gently banging her pounding head against the tiles. “The Leaky Cauldron, the corner shop, the river, the chip truck....” and then it dawned on her, the memories flooding back to her at once, causing her to grimace. After her messy dinner, she’d gone to a pub for shots, by herself. After the pub got boring, she’d returned to the river and decided to go for a swim, and then proceeded to apparate back to her flat and passed out on her bed. She turned the water off in a huff, wrapping the clean fluffy towel around her body as she stepped out of the bath.  
“You reckless idiot” She said furiously to her reflection in the mirror. “You’re not even good at apparating!” She knew she easily could have splinched herself, or broken the statute of secrecy... or run into something worse. Much worse. While the war still raged around her in the shadows, she knew far better than to behave like that. It was a horrible risk she had taken, one that would have shocked her only months ago. Caroline knew that she liked to party as much as her peers. Maybe a little bit more even, but she was never this thoughtless. She loved going out, drinking with Val and Diego at gigs, she’d even dabbled in a few things harder. They always kept each other out of trouble, made sure they all got home safe together. Getting wasted by herself was not something that she did, especially alone, in a new city, and during the middle of a war. A war that had just taken... She could almost hear Tonks’ voice in her head verbally thrashing her. Her cheeks burned with shame as she chanced another glance at her watch. She still had half an hour, and she’d need every second of it if she wanted to look presentable for her first day of work.  
Caroline set the kettle on the stove, boiling it with a flick of her wand, and made herself a very strong cup of black tea. She checked the small fridge absentmindedly for milk and cursed herself for not doing groceries the night before instead. She fished around the pocket of her jacket, discarded haphazardly beside her bed, pulling out a crushed pack of cigarettes. One left, she thought blandly to herself, promising herself for what felt like the thousandth time that it would be her last. She lit it on the end of her wand, puffing contently as she took a deep sip of her scalding tea. There would be plenty of time to torture herself later over what could have happened, she promised herself, as she quickly finished her cigarette and gulped down dregs of her tea.  
She returned to her room, pulling on her favourite, perfectly worn out Weird Sisters shirt, and a comfortable pair of jeans, before waving her wand at her hair drying it instantly. She returned to the bathroom, pulling her brush roughly through her long, blue waves, before quickly binding her hair into two long neat plaits. She applied a bit of makeup, concealer over the bags under her eyes, and a swipe of berry coloured lipstick. She noticed idly that the pounding in her head was gone. The potion had worked like a charm, but of course it worked, she’d spent most of her sixth year inventing it. Colour had started returning to her cheeks, and although she looked a bit tired, she’d still venture to say she looked a lot better than she had in the past two weeks.  
Caroline grabbed her essentials from her room, shoving them into her backpack before checking the watch again. Five minutes to eight. Just enough time to make it downstairs without aparating directly into the shop.  
“Wish me luck Daisy!” she called to her owl before locking her door and hurrying down the stairs. 

“Hello dear!” Mrs. Jordan greeted her cheerfully, as she bustled around the cafe in hectic haze, waving her wand absentmindedly as the coffee machines around her sprang to life and sandwiches began assembling themselves. Mrs. Jordan wore a pair of attractively paint splattered overalls, a plain white t-shirt, and a crocheted rainbow patchwork cardigan over top. A matching scarf tied her long dreadlocks back, which happily flowed behind her as she busied herself. She was extremely beautiful, with rosy cheeks, dark brown eyes, and a radiant smile. She was tall, nearly towering over Caroline’s short stature, and carried herself with a youthful, almost mischievous, energy.  
“You can hang your things over here” she said pointing to the small hooks behind the bar. “Would you like a coffee?”  
“That would be wonderful. Thanks, Mrs. Jordan.” Caroline smiled back to her as she hung her backpack on the hook.  
“I’ve asked you already, please call me Ava.” Mrs. Jordan smiled, passing her the coffee. “So? What do you think?” She said as she motioned to the cafe.  
“I love it” Caroline grinned, as she surveyed room.  
The Siren had a vaguely aquatic theme, the deep blue walls painted with lazily swimming, bored looking mermaids and sea creatures. Cozy, well-used arm chairs circled the small coffee tables, and a small stage for the open mics the cafe was known for was set into the corner. Instruments hung from the walls haphazardly, beside large bookshelves housing ancient seeming tomes and knicknacks. A large, well scrubbed mahogany bar wound it’s way through the room, painted with dancing sea weed and glimmering coral. The cafe was cozy and pleasant, and Caroline loved every inch of it. Mrs. Jordan grabbed her own coffee and motioned for Caroline to join her at the bar.  
“So how was your first night at the flat? Was the bed comfortable enough? You don’t look like you got a lot of rest...” Her face fell into the kind, worried look that mothers get when they fuss over their children.  
“The flat’s wonderful!” Caroline said as cheerfully as she could. “I just haven’t been sleeping all that well lately.”  
“It’s to be expected, with everything that’s happened.” Mrs. Jordan said with a sad, knowing smile.  
“I loved the daisies in the kitchen” Caroline added, quickly changing the subject. “They’re my favourite flower.”  
“Mine too!” she grinned. “Painted them myself when I lived up there years ago. I was probably around your age when I moved in there.”  
“Dora mentioned you were an artist, they’re beautiful! Did you do all of these yourself?”  
“I did. They’re in need of a touch up in a few places. Do you paint as well?”  
“Not really.” Caroline said shrugging her shoulders. “Mum was the visual artist. I generally gravitated more towards music.”  
“Guitarist?” she guessed, smiling.  
“Yeah, not very well though. I’m more of a singer-songwriter when I get around to working on it.”  
“You’ll have to play the next open mic then!”  
“We’ll see” Caroline blushed. “I’m a bit out of practice.”  
“Nothing to get you back into shape like a deadline.” Mrs. Jordan grinned with a wink. “Ready to get down to business?” she asked, finishing her coffee. Caroline nodded eagerly.  
When it all came down to it, The Siren would be easy enough to run. Caroline had plenty of experience working in a tiny muggle cafe back home over the summers, and Mrs. Jordan was sure it would be like second nature to her, even easier with magic. The Siren was open every day of the week aside from Mondays. Caroline would work alternating closing and opening shifts with Lee, aside from Wednesdays and Thursdays, when Mrs. Jordan would open the cafe so they could work the open mic. They served alcohol only on those nights, a small selection of rotating taps and simple cocktails. Caroline would run the bar, serving the tables, while Lee hosted the open mic. Mrs. Jordan gave her the full tour, teaching her the quirks of the coffee machines and taps, before the tour concluded by an ancient looking turntable in the corner. There were shelves upon shelves of vinyl beside it, and before she could stop herself, Caroline found herself thumbing through the collection eagerly.  
“Remnants from my wild youth...Are you a collector?” smiled Mrs. Jordan wistfully.  
“Something like that” Caroline grinned back to her. “You’ve got an amazing collection, I didn’t think many other witches collected vinyl.”  
“The ones who know what’s good for them do. I’m muggleborn. The rest of the technology I can do without, but I’ve never been without one.” Mrs. Jordan replied, laughing lightly. “I was furious when I couldn’t bring my turntable to Hogwarts.”  
“Would you mind if I brought some of my collection down here? I wont play anything too-”  
“Play whatever you like, darling. That’s what The Siren is about-”  
“Expression!” a voice called out in an exaggeratedly artsy tone.  
They turned quickly to see a tall, handsome boy, with shoulder length dreadlocks and wide grin painted on his face.  
“My son, the joker.” Mrs. Jordan rolled her eyes, smirking.  
“Lee Jordan. You must be Caroline” he said, smiling brightly as he shook her hand. “Hope mum wasn’t boring you too much with her ancient relics.”  
“Not at all” Caroline smiled back. “I’m a collector too”  
“Thank Merlin!” he laughed “She finally has someone to talk to about them. Most of our customers are absolutely bewildered by the contraption.”  
“You’re in early...” Mrs. Jordan mused, staring at him suspiciously.  
“Just came in to grab coffee for the boys.” Lee said casually, walking behind the bar and quickly making three cappuccionos. “They’ve got a big shipment coming in, figured I’d help them out.”  
“Sweet of you” Mrs. Jordan mused, watching her son as she continued to smile suspiciously. “Sure that’s all?”  
“’Course” he grinned, “Why wouldn’t it be?” But as soon as Mrs. Jordan turned her back, focusing her attention back to the piles of vinyl, Caroline saw him pour large shots of firewhisky into the coffees. He saw Caroline looking at him and shot her a cheeky wink, before taking a sip of the strong coffee, wincing slightly.  
“Take some sandwiches too.” Mrs. Jordan called lightly, a smirk on her face. “Doesn’t do any good to drink whisky on an empty stomach.”  
“Thanks mum!” Lee said, unembarrassed, throwing three sandwiches into a to-go bag, before kissing his mum on the cheek. “See you later, nice to meet you Caroline!” He called as he hurried out the door.  
“Cheeky thing...” Mrs. Jordan grinned. “I’m sure he came in here to scope you out.”  
“Why?” Caroline laughed.  
“Report back to the boys. His best friends run the joke shop down the street, have you been?”  
“Not yet, I noticed it on my way in last night...” And how could she not have. The massive two story shop nearly rivaled Gringotts in size, painted garishly in violent shades orange and purple.“It wasn’t here last summer when I visited.”  
“Just opened a few months ago. Fred and George’s flair for business is only rivaled by their flair for mischief. You really should check it out.” She said laughing.  
“Maybe after work tonight,” Caroline lied, full well knowing that her only plans after work was a trip to the shops and an early night.  
“Lovely!” 

As eight o’clock rolled around the customers began wandering in. Caroline found herself falling into the familiar patterns of working at a cafe; heating sandwiches, making coffees, and clearing tables. Mrs. Jordan introduced her to the regulars, flitting from table to table with ease, gossiping happily with the customers, occasionally flicking her wand in the direction of the turntable to flip the record or swap it out with a new one. Caroline found herself feeling lighter, happier than she had in weeks. They worked quickly and easily together, dancing and singing along to the familiar tunes floating from the speakers scattered around the shop. They chatted about their favourite artists, debating the merits of different records and deeply bonding over a shared love of David Bowie. It wasn’t long before two o’clock rolled around and Lee showed up to take over Caroline’s shift. Mrs. Jordan thanked her for her hard work, insisting she take a large assortment of pastries and sandwiches with her, and that if she needed anything else she should come down and ask for it. 

Caroline left the Siren, heading to the local market around the corner from the Leaky to do a basic grocery shopping. She paused as she reached the counter, biting her lip before asking for the pack of cigarettes she promised herself she wouldn’t buy. She paid quickly, realizing she would definitely need to stop off at Gringotts to exchange more galleons for muggle pounds.

The joy and ease she had felt in her all day disappeared when she returned to her flat, shopping in tow. The tension setting back into her shoulders, Caroline let her hair down, massaging her scalp, as the shame she felt for her recklessness the night before began bubbling up in her again. Eager for a distraction, she hastily unpacked her groceries, made a cup of tea and found herself without anything to do. Caroline paced around her tiny flat, searching for something, anything to do. In her heart, she knew she should unpack, settle in properly to this new chapter of her life, but the idea terrified her, so she continued pacing. She summoned a few of her favourite books, settling onto her bed and thumbing idly through the pages, but nothing held her attention. She huffed in frustration, tossing book after book aside before a small mass of feathers flew in through the window.  
The tiny owl fluttered madly, bounding around the room before seeming to tire itself out, and dutifully landed on her nightstand, holding out its tiny leg to offer Caroline the letter.  
“Thank you” she smiled, amused by the tiny owl’s energy. She reached out and gingerly untied it, before tossing the small owl a few treats and unfurlling the small scrap of parchment. 

I’ll see you tomorrow morning, lets go get ice cream.  
-Dora

Caroline reread the note before placing it beside her on the bed, laughing softly. Dora never had been one for flowery letters, but it was more than enough. She felt relieved that Tonks was safe, and that they’d finally be reunited tomorrow. She scribbled a quick reply on the back of the note and sent the letter off with the tiny owl.  
The comfort the message from Tonks had brought left as quickly as it came, and Caroline once again found herself bored and growing anxious. She ate a sandwich and a pastry for dinner, grateful that Mrs. Jordan had thought to send her off with food, and then returned to her bed, lighting a cigarette on the end of her wand and inhaling deeply as she took in her view of the alley. Her eyes took in the great building in the distance, the almost nauseatingly bright flashes of orange and purple in the distance, and she sighed. 

Fuck it.

She gathered her things, locked up her flat, and set off down the street to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.


	3. WWW

The day had been George’s worst since they’d opened last May. His hangover from the night before still wracked his body, his joints aching and exhausted. It had been one of their busiest Saturdays yet, and he was deeply regretting his choices. He and Fred had convinced themselves the night before to leave the order for the morning in favour of hittting the town to blow off a little steam. They’d been close to wasted by the time Lee, Katie, and Angie had shown up around eleven. Somehow he had still managed to power through drink after drink until last call.  
After messily shoving chips in their faces, the group had luckily managed to stagger back down the street to the flat, and stumble up the stairs to bed. When the alarm clock blared painfully around seven that morning, he had honestly wished to Merlin that he was dead. Hell, he wasn’t sure he would have survived the day if it hadn’t been for the hair of the dog that morning, courtesy of Lee.  
Not that Lee had been that much help today either. He had brought them the coffees and then proceeded to spend the morning sitting on the counter, complaining how bad his head hurt while he gorged himself with pastries. He hadn’t even given George any real information about the mysterious, tough looking girl he’d seen in the pub the night before. She was really quite pretty, he mused to himself, even though she’d looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks. Somehow it suited her. There had been something about her that struck him. Something pleasant about her voice, even her grin, the way she’d smiled at Tom with kindness, even though it appeared to George as if she’d rather be any other place in the world. When he’d offered her their spot by the bar, something in him had really hoped she’d join them.  
George had brought her up that morning, as casually as he could, and had been met immediately with groans and eye rolls from both Lee and Fred.  
“Wouldn’t bother with her, mate. Seems like she’s actually cool. Definitely not your type.” Lee had said seriously, in between bites of pastry.  
“What do you mean by that?” George asked sharply, resting the heavy box he’d been carrying on the ground, turning to stare haughtily at his brother and best friend.  
“You’re a player.” shrugged Lee.“You bring a new girl home every week, say you’re totally in love with them. Then you break up with them two days later.”  
“Lee’s got a point.” Fred shrugged weakly. “What about that other girl, Celeste?”  
“You’re a heart breaker” Lee chastised. “If you send this one away, mum’ll kill you.”  
After that, Lee had refused to say a single word. All George knew about her was that she worked for Lee’s mum, liked music, and had just moved in above the shop. That and her name: Caroline Harris. He’d never seen her before, and judging from her accent she was a local. Had she been home schooled? George was certain he’d never seen her at Hogwarts. He’d spent the rest of the day doing his best to focus on work, trying to get her off of his mind. Now all he wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep through his day off tomorrow.  
Thankfully, the shop had nearly cleared out by now, only a few stragglers remained, idly browsing. He caught his twin’s eye from across the room, noting the shared looks of exhaustion and dishevelment and they shared a grim nod of sympathy. They would definitely be closing early tonight.  
George turned around to begin restocking the shelves with Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. He was beginning to find his rhythm again, and had felt extremely relieved when he saw Fred finally cashing out their last customer. He’d just watched them walk out, turning around to quickly finish up stocking, when he heard the sound of the bell on the door. He sighed for a moment, collecting himself and pasting his best charismatic grin across his face, before he turned around.  
“Hey, sorry. Are you closing up? I can come back tomorrow.”  
It was her! The girl from the pub! She was wearing an old Weird Sisters shirt, the sleeves rolled up exposing the delicate floral tattoos that graced her arms; the small daisy near her wrist, intricately drawn bunches of lavender, a sunflower, and large blue black crow on her left bicep. George had never really known anyone to get tattooed, aside from his older brothers Bill and Charlie, who still hid theirs from his mother whenever they were home. She wouldn’t look out of place at a rock concert, he thought to himself, in her tight, torn up ripped blue jeans, sturdy looking combat boots, her long hair falling in two braids framing her heart shaped face. She was shorter than he remembered, and much prettier, and he found himself staring. She smiled back at him, a faint blush on her cheeks, still standing in the door way, clearly worried she was intruding.  
“Nah, don’t worry, love.” Fred said kindly, throwing an amused glance at George before motioning for her to come in. “You just moved in above The Siren, right?”  
“Word travels fast here, huh?” she laughed. “I’m working there too.”  
“Then I expect you’ll be seeing a lot of us then. We come in for breakfast all the time. Name’s George Weasley.” He said, offering her his most dazzling smile and hand to shake. “This is my brother, Fred.”  
“Caroline Harris” she smiled, confidently to them, shaking their hands. “Saw you two in the pub last night talking to Tom, right? Gaudy green jackets...”  
“And stunning good looks” George grinned to her  
“Right.” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, but a hint of a smile still rested on her cheeks.  
“Please excuse my brother, he’s a ridiculous flirt. Feel free to have a look around, ask us if you have any questions,” said Fred.  
Caroline nodded, turning away to begin perusing the shelves, and Fred shot George a stern look, as though to say I know what you’re doing and cut it out. George shrugged, smirking, and returned to stocking the shelves, sneaking glances at her. He watched her as her tattooed fingers ran across the shelves, stopping occasionally to examine an item more closely or laugh at one of their funnier products. George even noticed her chance a glance or two in his direction, her eyes meeting his own with a cheeky smile before returning to browsing. She rolled her eyes as she spotted the wonder witch products, pausing to unstopper a bottle of amortentia, smelling it quickly before returning it to the shelf with a surprised frown. Eventually, with an arm full of products, she made her way to the counter to pay.  
“Hey Freddie, do you mind looking over those papers in the back? I got this” George said smoothly.  
“Sure” Fred said shortly, casting his brother another stern look. “See you around,” he said, offering Caroline a friendly smile, before relenting to the back room.  
“Find everything okay?” George asked lightly, looking over her purchases. Peruvian instant darkness powder, a few collections of wildfire whizbangs, an assortment of trick candies, and a portable swamp. The girl certainly had good taste.  
“Yeah, totally. Wish you’d been open when I was at school. Might have actually given my Headmistress a heart attack” she grinned at him.  
“What school did you go to?” he asked lightly, “I would have remembered a face like yours at Hogwarts.”  
“Beauxbatons. Just graduated.” she smiled back.  
“But your not French?” he eyed her quizzically.  
“Nah, grew up in France though.”  
“So what was Beauxbatons like?” George asked, bagging her items as slowly as possible.  
“Don’t really know...” she said, pausing thoughtfully as she bit her lower lip. “Spent most of it in detention” Her lips curled into a small smirk and he thought he saw a flash of mischief in her eye.  
“Get into a lot of trouble?” he asked suggestively, he asked, leaning slightly closer to her over the counter.  
“Something like that.” Caroline replied nonchalantly, shrugging. “My best friend and I could never really resist a good prank.”  
“Best prank you ever pulled off?” He heard his brothers voice call out, walking up to the counter and joining them, much to George’s frustration.  
“Hard to say....” she smirked cheekily. “Fifth year we charmed all of the food at the welcome feast blue.”  
“Amateur hour” grinned Fred, but he looked a little impressed. “Second year we pulled off a co-ordinated attack, flooding all of the bathrooms in the school with frog spawn soap.”  
“Took them three months to get all of the frogs out of the school” added George, grinning.  
“That’s cool, I guess...” said Caroline, shrugging. “Frog spawn soap’s a little derivative don’t you think? Pretty basic stuff. We pulled that off first year.”  
“Bullshit” grinned George.  
“Oh we did. In sixth year we enchanted every faucet in the showers to dye students rainbow.” she added smirking.  
“That’s nothing. In seventh year, we dropped out of school by flying through the great hall during an exam, with a firework dragon on our tails.”  
“We charmed it to attack our evil headmistress”  
“That’s pretty impressive” Caroline grinned at them, “But I have two words for you... Limbo. Mist.”  
“You didn’t...” said George, his jaw dropping slightly.  
“Oh yes, we did.” Caroline grinned. “My best mate and I spent four years learning how to do it. We set it up in our dining hall, three weeks before end of term just before dinner. Took the teachers two full weeks to get it down. Thought we were going to have to hold the end of year dinner in our common rooms.”  
“Wicked” they said together, clearly impressed.  
“We tip our hats to you,” said Fred, tipping an imaginary hat.  
“Thank you” Caroline smiled proudly, taking a little bow. “Hard to believe that was only two months ago...” she added, shaking her head wistfully.  
“So where are you planning on using these?” asked George, raising his eyebrow as he passed her the bag. “Should Ava be worried?”  
“Nah, I like working there a lot. I’m sending most of this to my best mate. He went of to healer school, I wanna help him cause a little trouble without me.” She accepted the bag from George with a smirk. “How much do I owe you?”  
“Well since you’re new to the neighbourhood, I think we can give you a little discount. 12 galleons for the lot.” George smiled at her, ignoring the look on his brother’s face.  
“Are you sure? There’s at least 30 galleons worth of stuff here...” she asked, raising her eyebrow.  
“’Course. Think of it as your welcome gift to the neighbourhood.” George said lightly, elbowing his brother in the ribs before he could protest.  
“Okay, wow thanks,” she said, looking a bit taken aback, as she fished the gold out of her purse. “I’ll cover your breakfast for a month if you want, least I can do.”  
“Sounds great, love” smiled George kindly, knowing that Fred was smirking beside him because Ava Jordan never let them pay a knut at the Siren anyway. George passed her the bag across the counter and he felt her fingers gently brush his, setting his heart racing. His eyes met hers over the counter and he noticed a faint tinge of pink bloom on her cheeks.  
“Well g’night. See you around” she said quickly.  
“Night Caroline” said Fred “I’m absolutely knackered, remind me never to drink again.”  
She had turned to leave but spun on her heel with a smirk on her face.  
“Are you two hungover?” she asked coyly, a cheeky grin on her face.  
“Horribly” moaned Fred, slumping over on the counter.  
“I woke up this morning and felt like I’d been booted off of the astronomy tower” complained George.  
“Wait right here, I’ll be back in two minutes.” she grinned at them, turning on the spot and disapparating. They looked at each other curiously with a shrug, but before they could speak Caroline reappeared, slightly out of breath and dizzy, clutching two small black vials.  
“Hangover potion,” she said proudly, placing them on the counter. “Drink it down in one, follow with a hot shower and you’ll feel good as new. Tastes like goblin piss, and the texture is a bit lacking, but it works like a charm.”  
“Those things never really work, do they?” asked Fred skeptically examining the vial. He and George had tried just about every so-called hangover cure since they’d moved into the little flat above the shop, none were successful.  
“This one does.” said Caroline confidently. “It’s like a fry up in a bottle.”  
“How do we know you’re not pranking us?” asked George, who was also examining the potion dubiously.  
“You don’t.” she shrugged her shoulders, smirking. “But you’ve given me a pretty good discount, and I figured I’d try to return the favour. G’night.” Caroline turned and walked out of the store with a wide grin on her face, leaving the boys with confused faces in her wake.  
“What do you reckon?” asked George lightly, his eyes still fixed on the point where she had stood only moments ago.  
“I reckon you’ve got it pretty bad for her” said Fred with a smirk. George shoved him aggressively, nearly knocking him into the precarious stand of pygmy puff cages.  
“Eh! Watch it!”  
“I meant the potion, you git.”  
“Doubt it can make anything worse... worth a shot. Cheers” Fred said, popping the cork and downing it in one, grimacing. “She was not kidding about the taste, was she? Slimy goblin piss...” Fred almost looked impressed with the accuracy of her description.  
George downed his own vial, gagging and coughing a bit.  
“Bloody revolting...” he spat, taking a huge sip of his leftover tea from this morning trying to get the taste out. A warm, invigorating feeling began to radiate from his stomach, spreading to his extremities. He found his energy returning, and as he stretched his shoulders tentatively, he noticed the tension in leaving. Even his throbbing headache seemed to be receding and his stomach was settled. George turned to his brother, who also seemed to be noticing the effects. Colour was rapidly returning to Fred’s pale face, his cheeks turning rosy. His eyes even looked more alert, far less dull and glassy.  
“I think it might have worked...” said Fred, a surprised smile on his face.  
“We’ll have to ask her where she bought it-”  
“So we can get a whole case?” finished Fred, nodding eagerly. “So what are you going to do about her?”  
“Dunno... Nothing probably.” George frowned a bit, suddenly finding the vial in his hand very interesting.  
“Really?” Fred raised his eyebrow at his twin appraisingly, crossing his arms over his chest.  
“Yeah.” George shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.  
“Georgie, I haven’t seen you look at a girl like that since you followed Leona Sterling around like a puppy for half of third year.”  
“Dunno what you're talking about,” George said hotly, his cheeks burning. “Plus, you heard Lee, he thinks I’m no good for her. Anyways, reckon I might have a good thing going with Celeste now...”  
“Celeste?” groaned Fred, grimacing as he shook his head. “Angie can’t bloody stand her.”  
“Then that’s Angie’s problem, isn’t it?” said George defensively.  
“If it's Angie’s problem, it’s mine too,” Fred said, smirking a bit. “She complained for a week after that fiasco of a double date you made us go on. Didn’t Celeste send her food back three times before launching into a tirade about the waitress’ outfit?”  
“You just don’t know her well enough yet, mate. She’s really cool.”  
“Find that hard to believe,” Fred smirked.  
“At least be nice to her tonight, will you? I’m supposed to be meeting her in half an hour at the cauldron. ”

* * *

  
Caroline returned to her flat wearing a wide grin. She greeted Daisy cheerfully, plopping her bag of purchases on the ground before noticing the large black crow sitting on Daisy’s perch, drinking from her water dish. A letter was tied to it’s leg.   
“Hi Siouxsie! Daisy didn’t tell me we had company” she smiled brightly, tossing them each a few treats. Diego’s post crow, Siouxie, was unusual, but Caroline loved her dearly. She gently untied the letter, eagerly reading.   
  
  
_Ma Petite Renard,_

_  
School is incredibly dull without you here, even Valentin admits it. It’s a nice change from Bauxbatons, but Lyon is an incredibly dull place with nothing to do. I’m starting to question why I even wanted to become a healer, but Valentin reminds me often that it was my idea that we come to school here and that I’ve wanted to be a healer since third year. We’re moving out of the dorms soon and into our own apartment.  
Etienne’s here in Lyon too. He’s completing his Auror training at the school near ours. I almost hexed him when I saw him. He’s been asking of you, of course, but I told him to go to hell. After what he did to you last year? Please tell me you haven’t written to him yet. I think the distance will do you good, let you finally move on. It’s of course, Valentin’s wish, and my own, that you finally find someone worthy of you. You’ll need a date for our wedding next summer. No, he hasn’t proposed yet, but I think its going to be coming soon. Maybe on our anniversary this Halloween.   
What’s it like to be back in England? Is Diagon Alley the same as last summer? How is your new job? Do you have a new best friend? Have you replaced me yet? Tell me everything! Have you met anyone cute yet? What are the gigs like? Please tell me everything.   
We miss you dearly.   
  
Ton Amour, _

_Diego._   
  
  
She smiled at the letter, clutching it to her chest, before writing her reply.   
_  
Mon Amour,  
Thanks for the care package, I’ll send the tin back to Gisela when I finish the cookies, she’s so right, they are my favourite. __Almost makes me f_ _eel like I’ve got a little bit of home with me here._ _London feels so lonely without you by my side,_ _but I’ve been listening to your mix whenever I get the chance._ _I haven’t seen Tonks yet, so I couldn’t send her your love, but she’s coming by tomorrow. We’re supposed to be meeting with a friend of ours from our bird watching club for dinner. I’m excited to get to work and stay busy._

_I’m settled in to my new flat. Its small but cute, I think you’d really like it. Just got in from working my first shift at the Siren. The owner seems amazing, you’d love her. She has a massive collection of old records,_ _and the regulars seem nice._ _No new best friends to report, but I’ve only been here for two days so I’ll keep you posted._ _Diagon Alley is quieter than it was in the past, but nothing much has changed. There is a massive prank shop now,_ _you’d love it. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. If they’d been open last year, I think we might have successfully given Mme Maxime a heart attack.  
_ _As far as dates are concerned there is little progress on that front. I haven’t written to Etienne. There is someone, at the joke shop... I think he might like me too. Nothing serious of course, but he does seem sweet._ _  
_ _  
Have you caught any gigs yet in_ _  
How are you? How’s Val? Caused any mischief yet?  
_ _I miss you so much  
-Ton petite renard._


End file.
